Questions for each of the seven Canadian NHL franchises: Western edition

Jim Benning, new general manager of the Vancouver Canucks, looks on as president of hockey operations Trevor Linden speaks at a news conference in Vancouver May 23, 2014. (Jonathan Hayward/THE CANADIAN PRESS) Photo: Jonathan Hayward/THE CANADIAN PRESS

As Canadians stomach another American-based NHL team parading around this summer with the Stanley Cup in tow, what can teams north of the border do to address this continuing inequity?

Here’s a look at burning questions for each team from the west:

Vancouver

After many years of near success, the Vancouver Canucks finished outside the playoffs this past season, watching wistfully as their western rivals the Los Angeles Kings raised the Stanley Cup in triumph.

The team immediately fired John Tortorella and watched in anguish as former coach Alain Vigneault took his New York Rangers all the way to the final, before losing to the Kings. Who will coach them now? It has been more than six weeks since the team let Tortorella go back to his dogs.

@SportsCenter Who, When, Why. Who will be the next #Canucks coach John Stevens, Willie Desjardins, Dan Bylsma, Marc Crawford.

New GM Jim Benning and his boss, president Trevor Linden will have to address a potential game-changer of a deal for Ryan Kesler, who has reportedly asked to be dealt. By losing their clear number two centre and one of the team leaders – especially in the heart and soul department – will the Canucks rebuild completely after bidding him goodbye? Or is it better to retool to try to get back to the final.

If they do make a trade for Kesler, the team could use a top-shelf goaltender after former GM Mike Gillis rashly traded away its two top keepers: Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider.

The team also needs to get younger because a lot of the names on the roster are on the wrong side of 30 years old: Sedins, Alex Burrows, Kevin Bieksa, Dan Hamhuis are not young anymore. This is a veteran core that is just dancing around the edges of being considered old.

One question they have answered, is triggering a compliance buyout on local anchor and focus of fan abuse David Booth. The reboot or retool has begun on the west coast.

#canucks buyouts are big step in right direction.Didn't think it'd happen.Kudos to Linden, Benning for decision & Aquilinis for bucking up $

The Edmonton Oilers once again missed the playoffs and need to get more size and defensive mustard, blah blah blah…. Stop me if you have heard this song before.

It seems like sports commentators tackle this question every year. How do the Oilers get bigger and tougher? When will they break this epic playoff losing streak? Will the City of Champions ever see another Cup win?

With the rumour that the team is targeting Philadelphia Flyers Braydon Coburn in a trade, he just might be a part of the answer to their quest for relevancy. Coburn is a big body and at 29, might relish the chance to lead a young, developing group of rearguards such as Darnell Nurse and Justin Schultz.

The Oilers reassigned their assistant coaches (Steve Smith and Kelly Buchberger) and need to hire more experienced lifers such as Craig Ramsey (who was brought in) to help young players become competent NHLers. For too long the team has drafted superstar-potential players, with only Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle reaching the expected star level.

And next question is the draft. At least they won’t have to be burdened with the number one overall pick, unless they trade for it. The Florida Panthers are the current owners.

Calgary

Another new GM has the task of restoring glory to a former Cup winner, who has missed the playoffs for the past five years. The Calgary Flames are currently mired on the long road to respectability in the NHL. Brian Burke is the team president and he hand-picked someone not named Dave Nonis (Brad Treliving) to be his right-hand man.

Treliving has a tough job trying to shoehorn more talent onto his big league roster after years of watching the team hang onto its core players (Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff) only to see them leave town for nothing in return.

The team went many years without a lot of draft picks and it needs to rebuild with picks. That means fans should not expect to see another Red Mile celebration for years to come. They need to be patient because they have no choice.

General Manager Kerri MacDonald at Melrose Resturant and Bar.

Will the team acquire size and truculence to satisfy Burke’s vision of the perfect team? Probably but those guys who are skilled and tough (Milan Lucic, Anze Kopitar) do not grow on trees. The Flames have to hope they can find a diamond in the rough on another team’s roster because that guy does not currently exist on the Flames roster.

They have been sniffing around Jason Spezza (according to rumours) but he will not move to a rebuilding team at this point in his career. Spezza will go to a western team who need one more solid scoring centre for a Cup push. The Flames also need to find a long-term goaltender who will become the new Kipper.

After three years back in the NHL family, the Jets seriously need to take the next step toward respectability. Another season of not making the post-season will not sit well in one of the hockey hotbeds in North America.

First step might be to address the ongoing annual soap opera that is Evander Kane, which seems to come up every summer.

Kane is a highly skilled forward who might need a change of locations to improve his game. He is the proverbial big fish in a small (market) pond at the moment, but a trade to a marquee franchise, one with a solid core of veteran leadership might help this still young 22-year-old take his own next step in development. At this point, it might be the only thing saving his career as a star NHL player.

back to #nhljets and Evander Kane. don't think there's a deal out there for kane. and i want to see him play with Scheifele for 40 or 50 gms

It might not even be that crucial for the Jets to demand a king’s ransom for Kane: it won’t happen anyway. Every NHL GM knows that Kane is a young pro athlete who enjoys the non-hockey part of his celebrity, so Winnipeg’s GM Kevin Cheveldayoff won’t get what is deserved. He might have to swallow hard and accept a package of futures and older veterans.

But maybe he could include fellow troubled traveller Dustin Byfuglien in a blockbuster package deal.

If Kane and the Buff leave town, can Mark Scheifele take next step? It will be up to Cheveldayoff and coach Paul Maurice to decide.